HHL-IEN.CH
Accident delays vertical take-off SEAMOS tests
RAMON LOPEZ/PARIS
CRITICAL land-based flight trials of the DaimlerChrysler
Aerospace (Dasa) SEAMOS verti
cal take-off and landing (VTOL)
unmanned air vehicle (UAV), due
this September, have been delayed
by at least four months because of a
crash that severely damaged the
only flight demonstrator.
The flight demonstration, at the
Meldorf North Sea test range, is
likely to be rescheduled for early
next year, Dasa said at the Un
manned Vehicles 99 conference in
Paris, France, which took place
from 9-11 June.
The SEAMOS demonstrator
was on its fourth preliminary teth
ered flight test at Dasa Dornier's
Friedrichshafen facility when it fell
off its shipdeck simulator following
the failure of at least one of the four
The SEAMOS will be repeated next year
large magnets used to anchor the
UAV to the metal structure.
The rotor blades, which were
turning at the time, were des
troyed, and some mechanical sys
tems damaged. Sensors and
onboard electronics appear un
damaged, although checks contin
ue. Project officials estimate it will
take at least four months to repair
the SEAMOS demonstrator using
available spare parts.
The German Navy Drone pro
ject was initiated in 1989. Dasa won
a contract from the German Office
of Defence Technology and Pro
curement two years ago for the
definition phase of the SEAMOS
naval UAV which is running in par
allel with the development of the
new K130 corvette. Initial deploy
ment is planned for late 2005.
The coaxial-rotor SEAMOS
will provide long-range reconnais
sance and target acquisition using
radars, electro-optical sensors and
datalinks.
SEAMOS is a key element of
NATO Project Group 35's inter
national technology demonstrator
project. Dasa has fixed problems
with the autopilot and navigation
systems which forced a delay of the
land-based tethered test originally
scheduled for April last year. Sea
trials are due in 2 002. •
General Atomies/Meteor team on Italian bid
i TALY'S UNMANNED air vehicle (UAV) and air target
manufacturer Meteor has teamed
with General Atomics Aeronau
tical of the USA to offer the US-
built Predator to the Italian Mni-
stry of Defence in response to a
requirement for a medium-alti
tude, long-endurance UAV
General Atomics will provide
Predator-related hardware, soft
ware and systems integration work,
and Meteor will provide hardware,
some assembly and logistical sup
port in Italy. Industry sources say
the MoD could buy one or more
Predator systems within a year.
The teaming agreement will be
defined when Italy's requirements
are known. Final assembly of
Predators in Italy is possible if
enough of them are procured, says
die company.
General Atomics says that it
considers Italy " a strong market for
the near-term sale of UAV sys
tems", and that, by teaming with
Meteor, it has strengthened its abil
ity to offer and support the overseas
sale of the Predator. •
Matra BAe considers sea-launched Storm Shadow
MATRA BAe Dynamics is receiving French govern
ment funding to look at ground, sea
and submarine-launched versions
of the UK/French Scalp EG/
Storm Shadow conventional
stand-off missile.
The funding covers studies into
significant modifications to the air
frame - mainly shortening the
fuselage and changing the cross-
section - which are needed to
enable firing from ground-based
and vertical sea and submarine-
based launchers.
The new version of the missile
would be considerably more accu
rate than the US Tomahawk, says
Matra BAe Dynamics chief engi
neer future programmes Francois
Bobo. He says studies into using
the planned European Galileo
global navigation satellite system
to provide navigation upgrades are
at an "advanced stage".
As planned, the missile will
depend on the US global position
ing system (GPS) for mid-course
guidance, although Bobo stresses
that GPS is not the primary means
of navigation. "That comes from
the terrain matching and inertial
navigation systems," he says.
Trials of the Storm Shadow/
Scalp EG staring array sensor that
will provide terminal guidance are
due to begin aboard a French
Super Puma in July, using a range
of targets to test the algorithms for
the target correlation system, says
Bobo.
The first full-scale dynamic tests
of the Broach warhead will also
take place after an "extremely suc
cessful" series of static tests.
Test firings of the missile will
begin early next year, with delivery
of the first Storm Shadows to the
Royal Air Force beginning in 2 001
for service evaluation before oper
ational service entry in 2002. The
Scalp EG is scheduled to enter
operations with the French air
force in 2003. •
UK to reveal tactical
UAV requirements
THE UK Ministry of Defence will issue its tactical unmanned
air vehicle (UAV) requirements to
support land operations at an indus
try briefing this month.
"The programme is aimed at
companies that will have an inter
est in participating as prime or
major subcontractors in any future
competitive tendering exercises for
Projects Sender [unit UAV] and
Spectator [formation UAV] that
may arise," says the MoD.
Sender requirements include an
electro-optical sensor to provide
battalion commanders with near-
instantaneous reconnaissance at up
to 30km (16nm). The Sender
would befieldedbetween2005 and
2008, after field trials next year.
An air vehicle small enough to be
hand-launched is under study, as
are larger fixed-wing UAVs that are
catapult-launched or can operate
from unprepared ground.
The larger Spectator, expected
to have a 150km range, is required
for service entry in 2008. The con
cept calls for an all-weather recon
naissance sensor with communica
tions, minefield detection and
electronic warfare payloads. •
42 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23 - 29 June 1999